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Apart from its other qualities, this particular aspect of the nominated area is testimony to the confirmation of the Caribbean region as a cultural and historical entity. This isjust one of the aspects that identifies its position as an historie port to\\-11 of outstanding universal value. The unique setting in a natural harbour makes Willemstad an historie port to\\-11 of great distinction. This character is enhanced by the fact that its four historie urban districts were established on different flat and sloping sites separated by the natural waters of Sint Anna Bay and Waaigat. Rather than being elements of separation, these natural waters link the Identification historie urban districts of PlDl.da, Otrobanda, Pietermaai, and Scharloo and integrate them into an Nomination The Historie Area of Willemstad, exciting to\Wscape of colourful facades along inner city and harbour stretches of lively quays, and even a "water plaza" (Plaza Brion). This setting qualifies the Historie Area Location The Island Territory of Curaçao, The of Willemstad as a rare example of an historie port Netherlands Antilles to\\-11 laid out in a setting of natural waters. State Parly The Netherlands The strength of this complex of cultural properties - core area, transmission areas, and buffer zones - is Date 11 July 1996 that its urban structure and architecture conspicuously reflect the subsequent stages of historical development over the course of the centuries. The city can be easily read and used as a textbook for its Justification by State P.arty , historical and cultural development. With Punda, Sint The Historie Area of Willemstad stands out for the Anna Bay, and Otrobanda forming the historie core diversity in the historical morphology of its four area, Pietermaai, Scharloo, and Kortijn represent historie districts (Punda, Otrobanda, Pietermaai, and historie transmission areas expressing the historical Scharloo). The city's historical architecture is of a continuity ofWillemstad. strikingly genuine and colourful European origin set Both the historical urban fabric and the historical in a tropical environment. Its li.ke cannot be found architecture have proved to be durable elements over elsewhere in the Dutch West or East In dies. PlDl.da more than three centuries. These have been able to represents a dense and compact historical urban survive the effects of continuo us social and economie structure, reflecting its origin as a fortified to\\-11 development. surrounded by ramparts. Pietermaai and Scharloo enjoy the relative freedom of space resulting in an With this, the Historie Area of Willemstad open layout of streets lined by detached and often lDliversally stands out as a type of city which quite luxurious dwellings, whilst Otrobanda features genuinely demonstrates continuity in historical and both an open compolDl.d layout and a dense ailey social-cultural development over the course of structure. centuries through an authentic historie urban structure and architecture. The urban structure and architecture of the Historie Area of Willemstad are both authentic examples of [Note The State Party does not make any proposais colonial to\\-11 planning and architecture of the period in the nomination dossier conceming the criteria of Dutch expansion. Its cultural and historical under which it considers the property should be significance stems not only from its to\\-11 planning inscribed on the W orld Heritage List.] and architectural qualities as an historie port to\\-11, but is also manifest beyond the local level. Category of property Within the Caribbean region, the inner city and harbour of Willemstad share a common cultural In terms of the categories of cultural property set out history with other cities such as Old Havana, the San in Article 1 of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, Juan Historie Site, Cartagena de Indias, the Colonial this property is a group ofbuildings. City of Santo Domingo, and other cities of English and French origin. This common history of colonial European origin, seemingly strange, is expressed in an History and Description astonishing diversity of cultural heritage within the region. Together with the historie cities and sites History mentioned above and already on the World Heritage The island society on Curaçao (which covers sorne List, Willemstad belongs to a distinct category of 450km2) owes its origin to the expansion of Europe in cities which form a regional system linked by the the 15th and 16th centuries. After Spain had cords of a common cultural history, each with a encroached upon the island in 1499 at the expense of distinct expression of its o\\-11. its indigenous inhabitants, the Arawak Indians, the 86 Dutch took possession of it in 1634, in the period of Within each of the settlements flanking the Bay there Dutch domination of trade and the seas, and the is a waterfront square (Gouvemementsplein in PWlda, settlement was created by the Dutch West India Plaza Brion in Otrobanda), and they are lin.ked by the Company (West-lndische Compagnie - WlC). Apart famous pontoon bridge erected in 1888, officially from two briefBritish occupations (1800-3 and 1807- known as the Queen Emma Bridge but better known 16), the island remained Dutch colonial territory Wltil to the inhabitants as ''the Swinging Old Lady." 1955, when the Netherlands Antilles acquired self­ government within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The development of PWlda began with the construction of Fort Amsterdam (1634-38), designed Willemstad is a typical port town, but one without a according to the Old Dutch fortification system (Oud­ hinterland, which focused on the neighbouring Nederlands Stelsel). The 1.5ha fort with its five Spanish, English, and French colonies on the bastions was a self-contained settlement, with its own mainland of South America and in the Caribbean. church and water-supply as well as the residence of Frequent trade with South America (the Spanish the govemor and barracks for the garrison. The Main) led not only to an exchange of goods but also southem bastion was demolished in 1639, its the reciprocal adoption of cultural elements. Curaçao materials being used to build a wall from the eastern therefore bas an Iberian tinge, not !east as a result of bastion to the Waaigat, thereby isolating the tip of the settlement of Sephardic Jews from Spain and land on the peninsula from its hinterland and laying Portugal, who came there in the 17th century by way the basis for the establishment of a fortified town. The of Amsterdam. By 1730 the Jewish community Fort Church, originally wooden, was rebuilt in represented 50% of the white population of Curaçao. limestone in 1745. The Fort retains its administrative African influences also entered the island, since function as the centre of the national government and Curaçao was a centre of the slave trade at one period. residence of the Govemor of the Netherlands Antilles. The city developed on both banks of Sint Anna Bay, The walled town of Willemstad was laid out aroWld which forms the narrow entrance to the sheltered 1650 adjacent to the Fort on an orthogonal grid inland bay of Schottegat; both are excellent deep­ pattern. It was enlarged in 16 74 by filling part of the water harbours. Settlement started on the eastern side, W aaigat. By the beginning of the 18th century there known as PWlda, in the 17th century. Otrobanda, on were over two hWldred dwellings within the ramparts: the western side, developed at the beginning of the two- and three-storey buildings with balconies on 18th century and a little later aroWld Waaigat, the long narrow plots. The ramparts survived Wltil 1866, inner bay behind an elongated peninsula facing the when they were demolished following changes in Caribbean. military strategy. Within the district one of the most striking buildings is the 1732 synagogue, Mikvé There was sorne decline in the condition of the Israël-Emanuel. The sober and impressive interior of historie city in the second half of the 20th century, this building, the oldest ofits type in the New World, with the departure of many of the more prosperous was inspired by Esnoga, the Portuguese synagogue in members of the community, but this bas now been Amsterdam. halted and is being reversed. The development of Otroban·da, on the opposite Description (western) side of Sint Anna Bay, did not begin Wltil The Historie Area of Willemstad proposed for 1707. Initially the buildings there could not exceed inscnphon on the World Heritage List features a one storey, so as not to mask the field of tire from townscape of four historie urban districts - PWlda, Fort Amsterdam. Not being enclosed by defences, Pietermaai, Otrobanda, and Scharloo - separated by Otrobanda developed differently from PWlda. The the open waters of a natural harbour. It covers an area earliest buildings are laid out as detached structures of 190ha, including the buffer zones which both link on spacious lots, and with their central core and set the boWldaries of the four historie districts. surroWlded by a gallery resemble plantation bouses Each of these districts bas its own distinct urban outside the city. In the southem section there is a morphology resulting from successive planning sharp increase in density, sin ce this developed as a concepts, but they share a unique "tropicalized" working-class neighbourhood with craft workshops historical architecture ofDutch origin. and dwellings on a maze of small alleys. The nominated area consists of a core a rea, consisting The fust of the transmission areas, Pietermaai, which of Sint Anna Bay and part of the Caribbean Sea, lies to the east of PWlda, developed in the 18th and PWlda, and most of Otrobanda, and two transmission 19th centuries. It was settled by rich shipmasters and a reas, consisting of the urban districts of Pietermaai, traders and, after 1816, by high-ranking Dutch Scharloo, and Kortijn.

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